From me@nellardo.com Mon Feb 03 21:30:25 2003 Received: with ECARTIS (v1.0.0; list lojban-list); Mon, 03 Feb 2003 21:30:25 -0800 (PST) Received: from mail11.speakeasy.net ([216.254.0.211] helo=mail.speakeasy.net) by digitalkingdom.org with esmtp (Exim 4.05) id 18fvf2-0000LG-00 for lojban-list@lojban.org; Mon, 03 Feb 2003 21:30:20 -0800 Received: (qmail 17987 invoked from network); 4 Feb 2003 05:30:34 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO nellardo.com) ([216.27.135.47]) (envelope-sender ) by mail11.speakeasy.net (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP for ; 4 Feb 2003 05:30:34 -0000 Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2003 00:32:27 -0500 Subject: [lojban] Re: Would anyone actually read this? Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v551) From: Brook Conner To: lojban-list@lojban.org In-Reply-To: <1044004316.1967.17.camel@aaron.home.ungerdesign.com> Message-Id: <0C0C1606-3802-11D7-8A12-00039387C5FE@nellardo.com> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.551) X-archive-position: 4009 X-ecartis-version: Ecartis v1.0.0 Sender: lojban-list-bounce@lojban.org Errors-to: lojban-list-bounce@lojban.org X-original-sender: me@nellardo.com Precedence: bulk Reply-to: lojban-list@lojban.org X-list: lojban-list On Friday, January 31, 2003, at 04:11 AM, Aaron Unger wrote: > On Fri, 2003-01-31 at 00:45, Rob Speer wrote: >> The only problem I see is that your audience will probably be limited >> to >> those who already are skilled in Lojban - Tighter than that - those skilled in lojban *and* able to follow n-dimensional differential geometry (assuming it focuses on elliptic curve cryptography). Not everyone can wrap their brains around n-dimensional geometry with any sort of ease (at least, IME). >> those who are marginally >> interested in the language probably won't be persuaded to learn more >> by >> a cryptography book. No, probably not, but I don't think the point of the crypto book is proselytizing lojban, except to the minor extent that you can say "look at the diverse topics lojban can handle!" There are some things that are well-nigh impossible to translate into lojban (puns come to mind - trying to translate a typical Spider Robinson novel into lojban strikes me as a frustrating endeavor). There are some things that are much more elegantly stated in lojban, too. I suspect that a academic text is one, where the preponderance of cross-references and complex sentence structures typical of academic writing might well be improved by lojban's clear rules on e.g., pronoun reference (not to say that lojban can't obfuscate simple ideas as well as the densest academe-ese). > [....] So a book like this > would be great, for me at least, since it's on an interesting subject, > and would require me to expand my lojban knowledge while reading it. Yeah, I'd agree with that one - though crypto in general is not one of my hot buttons, I do try and follow the details of it, because the stuff is important. > And, even better, it would give me a foundation for other technical > writing, like mathematical formulas, scientific papers, etc. which I am > bound to want to write someday (in lojban). My problem with technical writing in lojban is that I'm already good enough at technical writing that lojban doesn't gain *me* much in the writing process. Again, not that I don't see the benefits - just that the cost to me of writing lojban is higher than English (fluency in lojban isn't really there yet for me :-). This means I want to focus my lojban efforts on things I *can't* write easily in another language. > I'm probably the exceptional oddball, though, that likes languages AND > crypto. Perhaps there are more like me... :-) Yes, there are :-) Brook __________ So! Come up to the lab! And see what's on the slab! I see you shiver with antici.... [Say it! SAY IT!] pation! [Now was that so hard?]